Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khlong Luang and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Khlong Luang: $952 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Khlong Luang
🇹🇭 Thailand
$952
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Khlong Luang and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Khlong Luang and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Khlong Luang versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Khlong Luang $952
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,575 in Khlong Luang versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Khlong Luang $1,575
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,198 in Khlong Luang versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Khlong Luang $2,198
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Khlong Luang costs roughly 48% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Khlong Luang is 29% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.53 ฿118
$12.35 ₡5,539
-71.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.21 ฿1,210
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-40.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.09 ฿304
$7.52 ₡3,373
20.88%
Cappuccino
$2.05 ฿68.7
$4.41 ₡1,978
-53.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 ฿23.12
$1.74 ₡780
-60.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ฿10.02
$1.31 ₡587
-77.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.35 ฿78.4
$3.28 ₡1,471
-28.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ฿89.8
$4.47 ₡2,004
-39.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.3
$1.56 ₡701
9.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.89
$3.02 ₡1,355
-51.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.41
$2.51 ₡1,125
-45.82%
Eggs
$2.21 ฿73.7
$3.57 ₡1,603
-38.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.41 ฿515
$7.43 ₡3,333
107.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.66 ฿88.9
$10.52 ₡4,717
-74.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.93 ฿332
$13.97 ₡6,265
-28.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.36 ฿112
$2.35 ₡1,052
42.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 ฿39.90
$1.61 ₡720
-26.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 ฿64.5
$4.80 ₡2,152
-59.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 ฿66.0
$1.61 ₡724
22.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 ฿40.92
$3.80 ₡1,703
-67.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.89
$3.69 ₡1,657
-71.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ฿41.81
$1.13 ₡507
10.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ฿14.73
$2.66 ₡1,191
-83.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿143
$5.18 ₡2,321
-17.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.90 ฿598
$19.88 ₡8,916
-9.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 ฿56.5
$2.90 ₡1,300
-41.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 ฿97.0
$3.63 ₡1,626
-20.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 ฿30.57
$1.12 ₡504
-18.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 ฿44.13
$2.14 ₡958
-38.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.13 ฿37.73
$1.57 ₡703
-28.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.61 ฿121
$8.52 ₡3,823
-57.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.63
$1.52 ₡682
-1.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.4K ฿1.5M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
110.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿899.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-22.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.4 ฿3,053
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-5.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿381
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-68.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.33 ฿646
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-63.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.86 ฿1,566
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-34.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.96 ฿466
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-60.01%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 ฿250
$7.89 ₡3,539
-5.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$615 ฿20.6K
$494 ₡221.6K
24.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K ฿473.3K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
19.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.2 ฿1,711
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-5.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.51 ฿986
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-46.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 ฿3,136
$77.9 ₡34.9K
20.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.8 ฿2,533
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-4.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$438 ฿14.7K
$788 ₡353.4K
-44.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$300 ฿10.0K
$794 ₡356.2K
-62.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 ฿46.8K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-64.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$733 ฿24.5K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-48.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,955 ฿65.3K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-71.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,596 ฿53.3K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
30.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Khlong Luang
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.96
8.62
-30.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Khlong Luang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Khlong Luang
$300
Nosara
$794 164% $494
Groceries & Markets
Khlong Luang
$243
Nosara
$352 45% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Khlong Luang
$122
Nosara
$186 52.1% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Khlong Luang
$113
Nosara
$120 6.6% $7.4
Eating Out
Khlong Luang
$101
Nosara
$212 109% $111
Sport & Entertainment
Khlong Luang
$62
Nosara
$87 41.4% $26
Getting Around
Khlong Luang
$11 *
Nosara
$87 720% $76

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Khlong Luang and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36.00 in Khlong Luang vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $352 per month, with Khlong Luang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Khlong Luang
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
00:28 12:28 AM
11:28 11:28 AM
13 h behind Khlong Luang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
118,551
4,912
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Khlong Luang Nosara 17,250 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Khlong Luang
  • Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Khlong Luang vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Khlong Luang?
Khlong Luang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,428 in Khlong Luang and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Khlong Luang and Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Khlong Luang versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Khlong Luang and in Nosara?
Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Khlong Luang and in Nosara?
All in, you'll spend $952 per month in Khlong Luang versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Khlong Luang or in Nosara?
At $952 in Khlong Luang versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Khlong Luang but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Khlong Luang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Khlong Luang or Nosara more family-friendly?
For families, Khlong Luang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Khlong Luang or Nosara?
Safety-wise, Khlong Luang and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Khlong Luang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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